Apparatus for extracting precious metal from ores.



in E No. 775,414. PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904.

J. J. BERRIGAN. APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING PRECIOUS METAL FROM CRES.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 11, 1904.

'No MODEL. 25mm'- IIN 25:;

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, HUA'IIAA s r IIIIIIIIIIIII Il ||||l No. 775,414. PAT-RRTRD Nov. z2,P904'.

J. P. RRRRIGAN. APPARATUS PoR RXTRAGTING PRECIOUS MRTAL PROM oRRs.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented November 22, 1904.

` PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN JOSEPH BERRIGAN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO FRANCISJ. AREND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JOHN BERNSTROM, OF

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING PRECIOUS METAL FROM ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,414, dated November22, 1904.

Application filed February 11, 1904. Serial No. 193,145. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JOSEPH BERRIGAN, of East Orange, Essex county,New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus forExtracting Precious Metals from Ore, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to the extraction of precious metal from its ore bymeans of a solution chemically active to dissolve said metal. In thecase of gold or silver heavy oressuch a solution is one containing acyanid which, as is well known, has a selective action to dissolve goldor silver in preference to the baser metals.

My present invention consists in the apparatus hereinafter set forth forextracting and separating the enriched solution, and in the constructionand arrangement thereof, as more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of themixing device and one of the agitators which receives the cyanid orother solution chemically active to dissolve the precious metal(hereinafter termed the solution) and the comminuted ore or orepulp,(hereinafter termed the ore.) Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the entireapparatus.

Similar characters of reference indicate like parts.

The ore is placed in any suitable receptacle, as 1, from which it isdelivered by the spout shown into the hopper 2. From the hopper 2 itpasses to the interior of the conveyerchamber 3, in which chamber is aspiral conveyer 4, rotated by any suitable means, such as the belt andpulley 5.

6 is a tank in which is placed the solution and which communicates withthe interior of the conveyer-chamber 3 by means of the pipe 7, providedwith a suitable valve 8. As fast as the ore enters the chamber 3 it iscarried by the rotating screw conveyer 4, longitudinally said chamber,until it meets the descending stream of solution from the tank 6. Thecombined solution and ore then pass from the conveyer-chamber 3' by thepipe 9, which is directly below the inlet for the solution into theagitator 10. The construction of this agitator is similar to that of theseparator illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 677,926,granted to me July 9, 1901, with the difference that the sole outlet isarranged above the bottom of the bowl, and hence there is no separateliquid-outlet in the bottom of the bowl, as shown in my said patent. Byreason of this omission the apparatus can no longer act as a separatorfor solids and liquids, but only as an agitator and means forcentrifugally forcing the ore through the solution in the mannerhereinafter explained. My saidagitator is provided with a standard 12,in which is journaled the hollow rotary shaft 13, which carries therevolving bowl 14. In said bowl is a separating-chamber 15,eccentrically placed, having an outlet-opening 16, which by passage 17in the partition 18 communicates with the outlet 19 in bowl 14. Withinthe shaft 13 is anotherrotary shaft, 20, which by suitable gearingrotates the shaft 21, journaled in the bottom of bowl 14 and also in thereceiving-box 22. Said shaft 21 lcarries. radial arms 23, provided withScrapers 24, and within the box 22 it carries radial arms 25,

The combined solution. and ore passing through the pipe 9 enters thereceiving-box 22, from which it is ejected by .centrifugal force ofrotation and also by the rotary arms 25 at the open side 26. It thusbecomes thrown toward the eccentric wall 27 of the separating-chamber15, while the liquid forms a ring around the inner periphery of thebowl. This liquid ring of solution remains during the operation of theapparatus. The ore is thrown through it and so against the inner surfaceof the bowl with great force. It is then carried by the Scrapers 24around to the opening 16, where,together with such moisture as mayremain in it, it is ejected through the passage 17 and opening 19 intothe surrounding casing 33, as indicated by arrows a, and so by gravityis conducted through the conduit 28 to the second agitator B of theseries. This agitator is similar to the first agitator A, Fig. 2. Theliquid which remains in the ore delivered into it forms a ring, asbefore, which remains, while the ore again containing a percentage ofmoisture proceeds by the casing 34 and conduit 29 to agitator C. Here itis again vsubjected to the same treatment, and finally escapes to theseparator D.

The construction of the separator is exactly the same as that of eachofthe agitators with the difference that it has a liquid-outlet, asindicated at 30, dotted lines, Fig. l, and as shown in my patentaforesaid. Its operation upon the combined materials isv fully set outin said Letters Patent. The exhausted ore from which the metal has nowbeen removed passes from the separator, as indicated by the arrows tothe casing 35 and delivery-spout 36 and so to receiving vessel 31.. Theliquid escapes by pipe 30 to a fixed cup 39 on standard 12, and thenceby pipe 37 to any suitable vat 32.

The agitators A B C may be supported, as shown, at different levels upona suitable frame E. Power may be obtained from an electric motor F,operating by gearing Gr the vertical shaft H, supported onl said'frameE, which shaft has pulleys I, from which extend belts which actuatev thedriving-pulleys K L on the several agitators and separator.

The operation of the apparatus as a whole is as follows: Because the oreis conducted by the conveyer into a descending stream of solution thetwo ingredients enter the first agitator well combined and lwith a'large amount of air intermingled With them.V The ore in this rstagitator being thrown with great force through the liquid ring formed ofsolution every particleof it becomes subjected to the effect of thatsolution. remaining agitators similar rings are formed from the liquid,the ore is forced again and again through this liquid and so subjectedto repeated action thereof. The same thing happens in the separator, butfrom this the exhausted ore and enriched liquid separately escape. Thesupply of material being continuous and its flow through the apparatusdue to gravity as it descends from receptacle to receptaclebeing'constantly maintained the liquid rings, once established, remain,the perstirred into it.

centage of vsolution which is removed in the ore escaping from eachagitator being replaced by new solution from the next preceding agitatoror from the initial mixing de- Vice, so that whatever the amount ofenriched liquid may be which finally flows from its outlet in theseparator per given time it is replaced by the liquid entering theapparatus from the mixing device in approximately the same time.

air in large amounts,and this, as is well known, greatly facilitates thereaction of the solution on the ore. The solution does not percolatethrough .the ore nor is the dry ore merely The fine ore and mingled airare literally sprayed through the rings of so- Inasmuch as in the Theforcibleagitation of the mix-` ture constantly introduces oxygen fromthe" lution. The result is a great saving of time and a 'great increasein the percentage of metal taken up by thesolution. 'The latter istreated to obtain the metal by any well known method.

I claim- 1.\In an apparatus for extracting precious metal from ore byasolution chemically active .to dissolve said metal, means for mixingsaid to dissolve said metal, means for mixing said ore in comminutedform with said solution, means for centrifugally agitating said mixtureand means for centrifugally separating the enriched solution from saidore.

3. In an apparatus for extracting precious metal "from ore by a solutionchemically active to dissolve metal, means for producing a stream ofsaid solution, means for conveying comminuted ore to said stream, andmeans for subsequently mixing said ore and said solution.

4. In an apparatus for extracting precious metal from ore by a solutionchemically active to dissolve said metal, means for producing a streamof said solution, means for conveying comminuted ore to said stream tomix therewi-th and means for centrifugally separating the enrichedsolution from said ore.

5. In an'apparatu's for extracting .precious metal from ore by aVsolution chemically active to `dissolve said metal, means for producinga stream of said solution, means for conveying comminuted ore to saidstream to mix therewith, means for agitating the mixture and means forcentrifugally separating the enriched solution from said ore.

6. In an apparatus for extracting precious. metal from ore by an aqueoussolution chemically active to dissolve said metal, means for projectingcomminuted ore through said solution contained in a receptacle, andmeans for removing said ore from said receptacle.

7.l In an apparatus for extracting precious metal fromore by a solutionchemically active to dissolve said metal, means for projectingcomminuted ore, in mixture vwith a body of:- solvent solution andcontained in a receptacle, through said solution and means for removingvsaidore from-said receptacle. 1

8. In an apparatus for extractingprecious metal from ore by asolutionchemically active to dissolve said metal, means for projectingcomminuted ore, in mixture with a body of .solvent solution andcontained in a receptacle having an outlet, through said solution, and aconveying device in said receptacle constructed to Yconvey said ore tosaid outlet.

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9. In a centrifugal agitator, a receptacle for the material to beagitated rotary on an eccentric axis and having the sole outlet for saidmaterial located above its bottom.

10. In a centrifugal agitator,`a receptacle for the material to beagitated rotary on an eccentric axis and having the sole outlet for saidmaterial located above its bottom and in its circumferential Wall.

11. In a centrifugal agitator, a receptacle for the material to beagitated rotary on an eccentric axis and having the sole outlet for saidmaterial located above its bottom, and means for conveying said materialin said vessel from its place of deposit to said outlet.

12. In an apparatus for extracting precious metal from ore by a solutionchemically active to dissolve said metal,.a plurality of centrifugalagitators disposed at different levels, and a centrifugal separatorconstructed to receive the material escaping from the lowest agitator ofthe series.

13. In an apparatus for extracting precious metal from ore by a solutionchemically active to dissolve said metal, a mixing device for thesolution and comminuted ore, a plurality of centrifugal agitators, and acentrifugal separator; the aforesaid parts being relatively disposed sothat the material under treatment flows by gravity from said mixingdevice to said agitators and thereafter to said separator.

14E. In an apparatus for extracting precious metal from ore by'asolution chemically active to dissolve said metal, a horizontal vesselhaving on its upper side an inlet for solution and an inlet for ore,and, under said solution-inlet and in its lower side, an outlet for themixed materials, in combination With a conveying device for moving theore from said ore-inlet to said outlet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

Y JOHN JOSEPH BERRIGAN.

Witnesses:

WM. H. SIEGMAN, I. A. VAN WART.

